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Drimia media (Jeukbol) This unique evergreen plant has snug clumps of many subglobose 2-inch-wide bulbs covered with chestnut-red scales. Each bulb holds tight clusters of vertically inclined half-round narrow 1 foot to 18 inch long green leaves that look rigid but are quite pliable and not sharp pointed. In summer appear the racemes of well-spaced greenish-white flowers that are tinged purple with curled-back petal tips and rise above the foliage on spikes to about 2 feet – flowers are not particularly beautiful but add interest.
Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate regularly to very little – with its water storing basal bulb this plant is quite drought tolerant in the garden and in a container and has proven frost hardy to the low 20's° F. This unusual plant makes a great small specimen in the garden and is an easy-to-care for plant in a container.
Drimia media comes from sandy soils from the Saldanha Peninsula on the south and east to Knysa in the West Cape Province of South Africa. The name for the genus comes from the Greek: word 'drimys' which means "acrid" or "pungent" likely for the sap which is considered irritating or even toxic on many species. This genus long put in the family Hyacinthaceae now is put in the subfamily Scilloidae in the Asparagaceae family and includes Urginea by some authors. For the time being we have left it listed as in the Hyacinthaceae. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word 'medi' meaning between though we are not sure what this reference is to. The common name Jeukbol is used for many species of Drimia and is an Afrikaans word that literally translates to "itchy bulb" and is likely from the childhood practice of rubbing the cut stems on a playmates skin to aggravate them.
We have long had potted specimens of this plant in the nursery from plants we originally received in the 1980s from landscape contractor, plant nut and animal trainer Jim Prine but only began dividing and selling it in 2019.
The information about Drimia media displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
